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Read the latest news updates from the California Business Roundtable.

California Energy Price Data for July 2024

In May, California again posted the highest electricity rates among the contiguous states across all three major end use sectors. Although easing, California gasoline and diesel remain...

08/06/2024

Reports and Studies

Looking At California’s Economy Ahead of Last Month of Session

With the California Legislature returning for the final month of session this coming Monday, the Center for Jobs is releasing this special report, which contains metrics on the current jobs and economic outlook for the state. With recent news about the departure of Chevron and Tesla, and large layoffs by Intel, legacy companies are making major announcements that will affect both the current and future economy, especially the state budget.

Reports and Studies

Full June 2024 Jobs Report

As discussed in our preliminary report, nonfarm jobs posted more positive results over the past two months, with June’s preliminary number coming in near the pre-pandemic monthly average from 2019. The labor force numbers in contrast, although showing the best results since last December, still reflected a continuing weakness in the state economy. Tying with Nevada, California at 5.2% had the highest unemployment rate among the states for the 5th month in a run. Total unemployment just barely missed the 1 million mark by only 100 workers. Total employment although up in June was down 93,000 for the year and remained 386,000 short of recovery to the pre-pandemic peak.

Press Release

Governor’s Executive Order on Encampments Important Step in Addressing Homelessness

The statewide business community commends Governor Gavin Newsom and the California Legislature for the passage and signing of a series of bills designed to address the ongoing retail theft crisis affecting businesses across the state.

Reports and Studies

Quick Facts: California Employment Report for June 2024

Both the nonfarm job and employment numbers showed positive gains in June. At 22,500, the nonfarm job gains were in line with the pre-pandemic average of 20,800 from 2019, while the stronger May gains were revised only marginally. These two months of positive news, however, were not enough to offset California’s weak ranking in net jobs growth among the states, which remained in 4th place below North Carolina.

Reports and Studies

California Energy Price Data for June 2024

In April, California again posted the highest electricity rates among the contiguous states across all three major end use sectors. California gasoline and diesel remained the highest as well, with taxes and fees rising at the beginning of July to partially offset the drop in price per gallon. The tax and fee component is scheduled to rise substantially over the next few years in response to ongoing Air Resources Board rulemakings.

Reports and Studies

California Trade Report for May 2024

The May trade numbers in general showed positive news for California. Both origin exports and destination imports were up compared to May 2023. In nominal dollars, total trade through the state’s ports rose in this period, and the share of total US trade, while remaining well below previous highs, continued edging up.

Reports and Studies

Full May 2024 Jobs Report

While nonfarm jobs were more positive in May, the labor force numbers continued to post weak results. Although dropping 0.1 point to 5.2%, California’s unemployment rate (seasonally adjusted) was again the highest among the states for the 4th month in a row. The DC rate was marginally higher at 5.3%, but among the states, California was the highest.

Reports and Studies

QUICK FACTS: California GDP and Personal Income in the 1st Quarter

California real GDP slowed to an annualized rate of 1.2% from 3.1% in 4th Quarter 2023. California was below the overall US average of 1.4% and posted 28th highest among the states. Using the current projections from the April International Monetary Fund, World Outlook, continued growth at the current GDP rate would push California below India to shift from 5th to the 6th largest economy by 2025.

Reports and Studies

Analyzing High Earner Migration and its Impact on State Revenue

The migration of high earners to other states showed only minor changes in 2022, according to the annual release of tax migration data from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). In tax year 2022, the number of high earner households leaving the state increased 7.2% to 48,875, taking with them a total AGI (adjusted gross income) of $31.5 billion. This increase was partially offset by a rise in the number of high earners moving into the state, rising to 24,205 with total AGI of $15.5 billion.

Reports and Studies

Quick Facts: California Employment Report for May 2024

Both the nonfarm job and employment numbers showed positive gains in May but again at different scales. Nonfarm jobs rose by 43,700, while the previously reported April gains were revised down by 1,100 to 4,100. With the preliminary May results, nonfarm jobs have now averaged gains of 17,000 in the first 5 months of 2024, higher than the 6,400 average set in the same period last year and closer to the 20,800 average for the entire pre-pandemic year of 2019.

Reports and Studies

California Trade Report for April 2024

Dominated by the surge in imports, total trade through the state’s ports rose $8.4 billion (13.3%) compared to April 2023. On a nominal basis, total trade through the state’s ports in the first 4 months of the year was 8.3% higher than the same period in 2023, and only $10 billion below the level reached in 2022.

Reports and Studies

California Energy Price Data for May 2024

In March, California continued its energy cost trifecta with the highest residential, commercial, and industrial electricity prices among the contiguous states. These rankings join the highest cost postings for gasoline and diesel as well.

Reports and Studies

May Revise Proposes to Weaken California’s Nation-Leading R&D Industry

The US Bureau of Economic Analysis recent release of a new series tracking the economic contributions of R&D activities in each of the states provides a timely data base to evaluate proposals in the May Revise related to business tax credits.

Reports and Studies

Full April 2024 Jobs Report

Most responses to the May Revise have appropriately focused on the revenue effects coming from the state’s extreme reliance on the tax returns of a relatively small number of high-income taxpayers.

Reports and Studies

Quick Facts: California Employment Report for April 2024

Both the nonfarm job and employment numbers showed positive gains in April, but at relatively modest levels. Nonfarm jobs rose by 5,200, and were not strong enough to even offset the 10,100 downward adjustment to the March gains.

Special Report: Economic Importance of Trade & the Ports to Southern California: Phase I Report: Baseline Economic & Fiscal Impacts

The Ports of Long Beach (POLB) and Los Angeles (POLA) are the core of the largest trade complex in North America. More than 3 million jobs nationwide are supported by the two ports and nearly 230,000 jobs in the region.

Reports and Studies

California Energy Price Data for April 2024

Last month, the governor announced that the state’s energy policies had set new records whereby clean energy had exceeded grid demand at some point during 40 of the last 48 days. Left unsaid, however, is that clean energy is not always produced when it is needed.

Reports and Studies

California Trade Report for March 2024

Total trade through the state’s ports was up $2.2 billion (3.3%) in March compared to the same period a year ago, generating yet another rise (on a 12-month moving basis) in the state’s overall share of US trade to 15.75% compared to the low of 15.32% last August.

Reports and Studies

Full March 2024 Jobs Report

As discussed in our preliminary report last week, the March data again showed California with the highest unemployment rate among the states and DC and, at 5.3%, the highest in California since December 2021. In contrast, the current Department of Finance forecasts underlying the budget revenue and spending projections expected unemployment to be only 4.9% in the first quarter of 2024.

Reports and Studies

Quick Facts: California Employment Report for March 2024

The March data returned to reporting mixed results for the state’s economy. Nonfarm jobs rose 28,000 in the preliminary results for March, while the loss in February was revised 3,300 lower to 6,600. The preliminary average monthly gain for the first quarter of 2024 was 15,800, down sharply from the previous quarter’s average of 38,800 but better than the 5,200 average loss in the first quarter of 2023.

Reports and Studies

California Energy Price Data for March 2024

The state’s energy policies continued to push prices ever higher. In January on a 12-month moving average basis, residential electricity rates rose to the second highest among the contiguous states, while industrial rates rose to the highest.

Reports and Studies

California Trade Report for February 2024

The Baltimore bridge collapse is the latest event adding to global trade disruptions, coming on the heels of continued challenges to shipping through the Panama and Suez Canals, uncertainty in the global economic outlook, and the shift of extended contract negotiations to the Eastern ports.

Reports and Studies

Special Report: California Risks Slipping to 6th Largest Economy

In Q4 2023, US Bureau of Economic Analysis reports that California real GDP rose 3.1% on an annualized basis, below the US average of 3.4% and 29th highest among the states. For 2023 as a whole, California real GDP rose 2.1%, below the US average of 2.5% and 32nd highest among the states.

Reports and Studies

Full February 2024 Jobs Report

California’s unemployment rate reached 5.3% in February, the highest in the nation and the highest in California since December 2021. Total number of unemployed surpassed projections made for the budget by Department of Finance by 7%, adding further strain to a state budget already facing multi-year deficits due to high spending.

In Case You Missed It: Guest Opinion Piece Published in Los Angeles Daily News

A recent Los Angeles Times editorial completely misrepresented the root causes and attempted to cast blame in the wrong place. This is the same tactic the governor and Legislature have been using to try to displace the blame, but the facts speak for themselves.

Reports and Studies

Quick Facts: California Employment Report for February 2024

The February labor force data in general produced weak results for the state. Nonfarm jobs dipped by 3,400 over the month, while January’s strong preliminary numbers were revised down sharply from the initially reported 58,100 to 25,600, the lowest since last September and only 38% as high as the gain in January 2023.

Reports and Studies

Fact Check: What’s Behind California’s High Gas Prices?

The Los Angeles Times recently published an editorial allegedly to correct the record on information being disseminated by groups such as FactsPerGallon.com on the reasons why gasoline prices are so much higher in California. In what purports to be a fact check piece, the editorial is astonishingly fact-free in its arguments.

Reports and Studies

What WalletHub Got Wrong: State Taxes Rank

The extent to which this statement is true is often obfuscated by the approach taken in different comparisons that look at tax rates or only a select number of the many different taxes the state has chosen to impose. The results, however, are not so murky.

Press Release

California Business Roundtable Issues Statement on Passage of Proposition 1

The Roundtable looks forward to working to implement key elements of Prop. 1 as part of a larger solution.

Reports and Studies

Full January 2024 Jobs Report

As discussed in our preliminary report, nonfarm jobs in January posted a 58,100 gain in the preliminary estimate. While stronger than prior months, January only regained a portion of the ground lost due to the 231,800 downward adjustment in December coming from the annual revision process.

Reports and Studies

Quick Facts: California Employment Report for January 2024

On a data note, the annual data revision process continues with this release and will continue with the February numbers to be released in two weeks. In addition, with this report, we are resuming the employment and unemployment estimates by legislative district.

Reports and Studies

California Trade Report for January 2024

Trade levels in general showed improvement as the California ports continued to recover some of the market share lost during the uncertainty generated during the extended labor negotiations.

Reports and Studies

California Energy Price Data for February 2024

California’s average energy rankings showed continued deterioration in the residential sector, while fuels and commercial electricity rates remained the highest among the contiguous states and DC. With no relief in sight, California’s energy policies are taking the state’s economy into a government-driven experiment that runs counter to its previous experience with economic growth.

Reports and Studies

California Trade Report for December 2023

Overall trade flows were largely stable compared to December 2022. Total trade flows through the state’s ports were off by only 0.2% in nominal terms. For the year as a whole, the nominal value of the trade flows was down from 2022, but up slightly compared to 2021 and substantially compared to pre-pandemic 2019.

Press Release

Business Roundtable Announces Support for 2024 Ballot Measures

The Roundtable membership has voted to support several key measures on the 2024 ballot.

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